Strong winds could reach speeds of 50-60mph tonight, but will have died down by Monday morning rush hour, according to forecasters.

The southern edge of Storm Freya will bring the strongest gusts on Sunday night before the area of low pressure moves out to the North Sea.

By 6am, experts predict the winds will have settled down to speeds of no more than 15mph, with Monday remaining relatively calm and dry across Suffolk.

Chris Bell, meteorologist at Norwich based Weatherquest, said: “The strong winds will probably be at their peak from 8pm to midnight or 1am.

“As far as speeds go, around 50mph is a possibility, with a few gusts of up to 60mph. But they will fairly quickly subside after 1am and it will be much calmer by rush hour, when we’re looking at 10-15mph.

“The centre of the storm, named Freya by the Met Office, will move from North Wales to northern England, and out to the North Sea overnight. Often the strongest winds are to the southern edge of the storm.”

Mr Bell predicts some light rain at the end of the night, but said things will clear eastward by 6am, and remain mainly dry throughout the morning and early afternoon.

The winds, and likelihood of rain, will pick up slightly into the late afternoon, he added, but not to the extent seen on Sunday evening.

“Monday night to Tuesday will be mostly dry, with the odd shower around, and temperatures of 11-12C,” he said.

“We’ll probably have another round of rain on Tuesday evening into Wednesday.”

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Ipswich Star. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.

This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years, through good times and bad, serving as your advocate and trusted source of local information. Our industry is facing testing times, which is why I’m asking for your support. Every single contribution will help us continue to produce award-winning local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.